Retaining mechanism for railroad-cars.



A. BURTOSKY.

RBTAINING MECHANISM POB. RAILROAD GARS.

APPLIUATION H LBD sBPT.3,191a.

1 1 1 2,520, Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINQTON. D. C.

ALFRED BURTOSKY,

OF WYANO, PENNSYLVANIA.

RETAINING MECHANISM FOR- RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (1ct. 6, 1914.

Application led September S, 1913. Serial No. 787,902.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that l, Amann BUaTosKY, citizen of the United States, residing at Vyano, in the county of Viestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Retaining Mechanism for Railroad-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in railroad car retaining mechanisms and has particular reference to that type which are employed in holding coal cars and the like on inclines until it is desired to release them.

As its principal object this invention contemplates the provision of a device of the character above set forth which consists of a body member slidable on the tread of a rail and a pair of co-acting gripping jaws carried by the body member and adapted to grip the web of the rail from opposite sides thereof so that the body member may be locked against longitudinal movement on the web of the rail and may be attached to a car or train of cars by a chain that they may be held against movement down an inoline.

An object of equal importance with the foregoing is to construct the retaining mechanism of this inventipn with such regard to proportion, number and arrangement of parts that it may be cheaply manufactured, will be durable and eflicient in its action, and may be quickly and conveniently applied to or removed from a rail.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

vWith reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating the retaining mechanism in applied position on a rail with the rear end of a coal car attached to the body of the device by a connecting chain. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line l--fi of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modiied form of gripping jaw. F ig. 6 is a detail view in side elevation showing a portion of the clutch plate, and lever which is mounted thereon and is employed in holding the gripping jaws in adjusted position.

Proceeding now to the description of the .drawings the preferred embodiment of this invention includes a body block, a pair of coacting gripping jaws carried thereby, and an operating mechanism whereby the jaws may be moved into and out of engagement with the web of the rail.

The body block, indicated at l0, consists essentially of an elongated substantially rectangular block which is constructed of iron, steel. or any other material which may be found desirable, and is formed on its under face with a number of teeth which are indicated at 11 and are| designed to assist in holding the block against longitudinal movement on the rail tread by biting into the upper face'thereof. 1n practice the block 10 is approximately equal in width to the tread of the rail'and carries a face plate 12 which corresponds in dimensions to the body block and is secured thereon in any desired and suitable manner, being preferably held in its position, however, by means of bolts indicated at 13. The forward terminal of this face plate 12 is equipped with a hook la which receives one end of a link chain 15 by which the retaining mechanism is attached to the car indicated conventionally at 16.

At the forward and rear terminals of the face plate 12 are formed pairs of rolled ears indicated individually at 17, 18, 19 and 20. These rolled ears are designed to receive hinge rods 21, 22, 23 and 24 respectively. The hinge rods enumerated receive similarly rolled ears 25, 26, 27 and 28 formed on the gripping jaws 29 and 30. These gripping aws 29 and 30 are substantially identical in construction and it is, therefore, deemed necessary to describe only one of them in detail, the member 30 being chosen in this instance. The member 30 is formed from a substantially rectangular strip of sheet metal, which is suiiiciently thick to" f so with terminal eyes, the outer eyes being mounted on the hinge rods 36 and 37 and the inner eyes being mounted on the bintle 38 which extends forwardly from the operating lever 39 and carries a head nut or similar device 40 which obviously holds the terminals of the links 34 and 35 against accidental displacement.

Ribs 4l and 42 are respectively formed on the lo-wer edges of the jaws 29 and 30 and extend inwardly and laterally therefrom, being serrated or formed with teeth upon their inner faces, so that they will severely grip the web of the rail, indicated at 43, when moved into locked position. Vihen the jaws are in locked position, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the pivoted links 34 and 85 are disposed in a horizontal plane and in alinement with each other, but when the operator desires to disengage the jaws from the web of the rail, the lever 89 is manipulated to move the inner terminals of the links 34 and 35 downwardly. ln this position it will be obvious that the ribs 4l and 42 of the gripping jaws are withdrawn from engagement with the rail web and spaced apart so that the body block and mechanism carried thereby may be removed from the rail.

Resuming now the description ot the lever .39, this element of the invention consists ot an iron bar which is bent adjacent its for "ard terminal to produce the angular arms 44 and 45. At the juncture of the arms 44 and 45 the lever is pivoted as at 46 between the upper terminals of a pair ot spaced standards 47 which are bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the face plate l2 at an approximately central point thereot. A tooth sector plate 48 is mounted on the face plate l2 and is engageable by a pair ot pivoted pawls 49 and 50 carried by the rear arm 45 ot the lever. it has been 'round necessary to employ a pair of these pawls 49 and 50 so that the lever may be held against both upward and downward swinging movement inasmuch as the movement of the pivoted links 34 and 35 below a horizontal position would operate to disengage the ribs 41 and 42 in the same manner as would their upward swinging movement from a horizontal. position. These pawl members 49 and 50 are mounted on a common pivot pin indicated at 5l and are normally held in engagement with the clutch plate 48 by retractive helical springs 52 and 58. The pawls 49 and 50 may he withdrawn from engagement with the plate 48 by means of wires 54 and 55 the rear terminals ot which are attached to a hand lever 56 carried at the rear terminal of the lever arm 45.

Upon reference to Fig. l the manner in which the device is operated will be readily observed. rlhe body block is applied to the rail and slid therealong to the desired position. The lever 39 is then manipulated to bring the ribs 4l and 42 ot the gripping jaws in the desired engagement with the rail web and the body block being thus held against longitudinal movement on the rail the connecting chain 15 is applied as heretofore described.

lt is desirable to note at this point that the mechanism above described has been found particularly eiiicient in mines, glass -factories, and similar plants in which it is iound necessary to hold a number of cars on an incline prior to letting them ride down the incline singly.

ln reduction to practice, l have `found that the i'orm of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most etlicient and practical; yet realising` that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, l desire to emphasize the tact that various minor changes in details ot construction, proportion and arrangement ot parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrilicing any of the advantages oic my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

One. modii'ication to which the present invention may be subjected is illustrated particularly in Fig. 5. lt will be noted upon reference to this ligure that the gripping ribs carried by the jaws are detachable, being formed separately from the member 29 or 30, as the case may be, and being held in assembled position by means of bolts By thus making the working portions ci the gripping jaws detachable, it will bc apparent that when the teeth are worn down by reason of constant wear and tear, the ribs may be removed and replaced by new ones, so that the old ribs may be repaired by tiling new teeth in their races. l

A further modiiication of this invention is disclosed in Fig. 6. Upon reference to this ligure, it will be noted that but one pawl is employed in connection with the lever In this form of the invention, a stop member 5S is applied to the clutch plate 48, so that the lever cannot swingdownwardly a sutlicient distance to bring the connecting links 34 and 85 above a position of horizontal alinement.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

l. In a. device of the character described, a body member, a pair of eoacting gripping jaws carried thereby, and means for moving the jaws into and out of engagement with the web of the rail, and separate means tor locking' the jaws in open or closed position, said iirst and second-mentioned means being both mounted on the body member. l

Q. ln a device of the character described, a. body member, a pair of coacting gripping jaws swingingly attached thereto, means 'loo mounted on the body member for moving the gripping jaws into and out of engagement vwith the web of the rail and for locking the jaws in open or closed position, and means for detachably connecting the body member to a railway car.

3. In a device of the character described, a body member adapted to be mounted upon the tread of a rail, a pair yor' coacting gripping' jaws swingingly attached to the body member, said jaws being adapted for engagement with the opposite sides of the rail web for holding the body member against longitudinal movement, means for manipulating the jaws, and means for locking them in adjusted position.

Ll. In a device of the character described, a body member mountable on the tread of a rail, a face plate secured to the body member, a pair ot coacting gripping jaws swingingly attached to the longitudinal edges of the face plate, and means mounted on the face plate and connected to the gripping jaws for moving th-e jaws into and out of operative position and for holding them in adjusted position.

5. In a` device of the character described, a body member, a face plate secured thereto, a pair of gripping jaws swingingly attached to the longitudinal edges of the face plate, upwardly extending arms carried by the jaws, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the taceplate, means for holding the lever in adjusted position, and links connecting the lever with the upwardly extending arms.

6. In a device of the character described, a body member, coacting gripping jaws carried thereby, a clutch-member, an operating lever for the jaws, and pawls mounted on the lever and engageable with the clutchmember for holding the jaws in adjusted position.

7. In a device of the character described, a. body member, a face plate removably mounted thereon, gripping jaws hinged to the face plate, an operating lever mounted on the face plate, links connecting the operating lever with the jaws, a clutch member extending upwardly from the face plate, and a pair of spring-pressed pawls carried by the lever and engageable with the clutch member for holding the jaws in adjusted position.

8. In a device of the character described, a body member, a face plate removably mounted thereon, gripping jaws hinged to the face plate, an operating lever for the jaws, means for holding the operating lever in adjusted position, hook members formed terminally of the face plate, and means for detachably connecting the hook members to a car.

9. In a device of the character described, a body member, gripping jaws hinged to the sides of t-he body member, arms projecting upwardly from the jaws, a lever pivotally connected to the body member and links pivoted at their adjacent terminals to the operating lever and at their remote termi- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

